U.S. Continental Congress
United States of
AmericaJuly
2, 1776 to February 28, 1781
The start of the Second American Republic
,
“Independence Day,” has been a matter of debate since
the U.S. Continental Congress
set
July 4th -- and not July 2nd -- as the
United States of America’s “birthday.” Since then,
historians have written volumes denoting July 4th as
U.S. Independence Day, despite independence having been
declared two days earlier with the enactment of
Richard Henry Lee
’s
Resolution
for
Independence:1]
Resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved. [2]
Additionally, in both the July 2nd and July
4th declarations, New York
abstained,
not approving independence of the “more or less” United States
until July 9, 1776.
[3]
Notwithstanding New York’s
July 9th approval, the passage of Lee’s
Resolution
and
even
John Adams
’ letter to
Abigail
declaring
that “The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable
Epocha, in the History of America”,
[4]
July 4th has been heralded
as the birthdate of the United States of America since
1777. Indeed, July 4th has remained sacrosanct
despite the enactment of two distinctly different U.S.
Constitutions in 1781 and again in 1789 that reformulated the
United States’ federal government.
Moreover, since July 1776, all major U.S. legislation signed into
law ends with words detailing the country’s longevity as an
independent nation, similar to those found, for example, in the
United States in Congress Assembled
’s
Thanksgiving Day Proclamation of 1782: “Done in Congress, at
Philadelphia
.
The eleventh day of October, in the Year of Our Lord One thousand
seven hundred and eighty two, and of our Sovereignty and
Independence the seventh. John Hanson
President”
[5]
Image Courtesy of the Klos Yavneh Collection
This practice, , continued under the current U.S. Constitution
well into the 19th Century and beyond, marking the
most important documents in American history
[6]
with similar conclusions. An
excellent example is the Emancipation
Proclamation signed
by President
Abraham
Lincoln,
which finishes “… and of the Independence of the United
States of America the eighty-seventh.” [7]
Image
Courtesy of the U. S. National Archives [8]
Similarly, the 20th-Century Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty was signed by John F. Kennedy
“…
in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred and sixty-three
and of the Independence of the United States of America the
one hundred and eighty-eighth.”
Nuclear
Test Ban Treaty
Image Courtesy of the Library of Congress
U.S. governmental authorities universally agree that the birth
year of the current U.S. Republic is 1776 and not 1781 (when the
Articles of Confederation
was
ratified), or 1784 (when the Treaty of Paris
was
ratified ending the war with Great Britain
),
or September 17, 1787 (when the Philadelphia
Convention
produced the current U.S. Constitution), or March 4, 1789, when
the current tripartite system began to govern the United States
of America. It is remarkable, however, that, while July
4th, 1776, stands as the nation’s birth date John
Hancock
,
the DOI
’s
presidential signer, is passed over by the same governmental
authorities as the first U.S. Head of State
.
Similarly, Samuel Huntington,
the first President under the Articles of Confederation, is also
passed over as President of the United States in America in
Congress Assembled. In contrast, these same officials
recognize Benjamin
Franklin as the first Postmaster
General who
served not under the current U.S. Constitution but under the
colonial resolution known as the Articles of
Association from
July 26, 1775 to November 10, 1776.
Setting these inconsistencies aside, the question that is most
pertinent to this chapter remains: Why does the U.S.
Government, since 1777, celebrate the 4th of July as
Independence Day and not the 2nd of
July?
When the twelve United Colonies of America
declared
their independence on July 2nd the Declaration of
Independence (DOI
)
was already before the Colonial Continental Congress
for
its consideration. The first draft was read before the
delegates on Friday June 28, 1776, and then ordered to lie on the
table over the weekend for their review. On Monday, July
1st, the DOI
was
read again to the “Committee of the Whole.”
The DOI
was
debated along with the much shorter Lee
Resolution.
The 12 Colonies, whose members were empowered to declare
independence, were unable to garner the necessary 12 delegation
votes to make the measure unanimous. Accordingly, it was
decided to postpone the vote on independence until the following
day, July 2nd, and the 12 colonial delegations passed
the Lee’s Resolution
declaring
their independence from Great Britain
.
The DOI
,
however, was quite another matter; Committee of the Whole
Chairman Benjamin Harrison requested
more time and the members agreed to continue deliberations
following day.
On July 3rd, the Continental Congress
considered,
debated and passed several pressing war resolutions before taking
up the DOI
resolution.
Once again, not having sufficient time to finalize the
proclamation, Chairman Benjamin Harrison
requested
more time and the U.S. Continental Congress
tabled
deliberation until the following day. On the morning of
July 4, 1776 the delegates debated and passed the following war
resolution:
[9]
… that an application be made to the committee of safety of
Pennsylvania
for
a supply of flints for the troops at New York
:
and that the colony of Maryland
and
Delaware be
requested to embody their militia for the flying camp, with all
expedition, and to march them, without delay, to the city of
Philadelphia
.[10]
The Continental Congress then
took up, finalized, and passed the Declaration of
Independence:
“Mr. Benjamin Harrison
reported,
that the committee of the whole Congress have agreed to a
Declaration, which he delivered in. The Declaration being
read again was agreed to …”
[11]
The Declaration of Independence
proclaimed
why “… these United Colonies are, and, of right, ought to be,
Free and Independent States …”
[12]
and its content served to justify the
Colonial Continental Congress July
2nd vote declaring independence. It was the rhetoric
in the DOI
and
not Lee’s Resolution
that
exacted the vote for independence on July 2nd, 1776,
from the 12 state delegations. Moreover, the July
4th, 1776, resolution included naming the Second
United American Republic which was not incorporated in Lee’s
Resolution. It is also important to note that the
name, United States of America, was not utilized on any of the
Continental Congress resolutions or bills passed after Lee’s
Resolution
on
July 2nd up until the passage of the DOI
on
July 4th, 1776.
It is true that in
Thomas
Jefferson’s
DOI
drafts,
the word “States” was substituted for “Colonies” in the
stile, or name, “United Colonies of America
.”
It is also true that Jefferson’s substitution was in accordance
with Lee’s Resolution
that
asserted the “United Colonies” were to be “free
and independent States.” The new republic was not
named the “United States,” however, until the Declaration of
Independence
’s
adoption on July 4, 1776.
The naming of this new republic was no small matter, and the
topic would be addressed again in later deliberations on the
Articles of Confederation and
the current U.S. Constitution.
[13]
As noted earlier, the 1775
Articles of Confederation and Declaration for Taking
up Arms initially named the First United American Republic
the United Colonies of North America
.
The name was only shortened by the Continental Congress
to
the United Colonies of America
in
1776. We must, therefore, pay heed to the fact that the nation’s
name was adopted on July 4th, 1776, with the passage
of the Declaration of Independence
and
not on July 2nd with the enactment of
Lee’s Resolution
.
This circumstance, coupled with the nearly completed Declaration
of Independence being laid before the members on June
28th and present during the July
2nd vote, explicates why the 4th and not
the 2nd was designated Independence Day by
the Continental Congress and was accepted as such by the then
future congresses of the United States of
America.
Nevertheless, for the purposes of establishing the start of the
Second United American Republic, we must be more precise
in our determination. The United Colonies of America
severed
their allegiance to Great Britain
on
July 2nd, 1776. The new independent republic of
free and independent states enacted resolutions
[14]
on the Second, Third, and Fourth of
July before passing the Declaration of Independence
.
This Assembly, just like Carpenters’ Hall
’s
unnamed Congress,
[15]
formed a United American
Republic by enacting bills, resolutions and other
legislation on behalf of their now independent states. July
2nd, 1776, therefore, marks the end of the United
Colonies of America and the beginning of the Second United
American Republic: The United States of America,
Thirteen Independent States United in Congress.
Having established the starting point for the Second United
American Republic, we – like the Continental Congress
–
should turn to a consideration of that Republic’s
governance. As we shall see, the process of articulating
the document that became the “Articles of Confederation
”
was not simple. Moreover,
although this first constitution of the United States of America
was passed by the Continental Congress on November
15th, 1777, the Articles required unanimous
ratification. For three years the Continental Congress
would govern under a body of laws that were co-mingled with the
future laws in the Articles of Confederation.
 |
Neil Ronk, Senior Guide and Historian of the Christ Church Preservation Trust holds up John Dunlap's 1777 York-Town printing of the 1776 Journals of Congress flanked by NCHC Honors Students. The Journals have been opened to July 2nd 1776, marking the passage of the Resolution for Independency. - For more information visit our National Park and NCHC Partners in the Park Class of 2017 website |
With the passage of Lee’s Resolution
and
the Declaration of Independence
,
the U.S. Continental Congress
was
now faced with the challenge of transforming the voluminous
United Colonies’ legislation into a U.S. Constitution capable of
uniting and governing the 13 independent states. Even
before the acceptance of those two momentous documents, the
matter of drafting a constitution gained the serious attention of
Congress on June 12th, 1776, when it resolved to
appoint a committee of thirteen to prepare a draft constitution
for the new republic:
Resolved, that the committee to prepare and digest the form of a
confederation to be entered into between these colonies, consist
of a member from each colony:
·
for
New Hampshire
...
Mr. [Josiah] Bartlett
·
Massachusetts
...
Mr. S[amuel] Adams
·
Rhode
Island
...
Mr. [Stephen] Hopkins
·
Connecticut ...
Mr. [Roger] Sherman
·
New
York ...
Mr. R[obert R.] Livingston
·
New
Jersey …
·
Pennsylvania
...
Mr. [John] Dickinson
·
Delaware ...
Mr. [Thomas] McKean
·
Maryland ...
Mr. [Thomas] Stone
·
Virginia ...
Mr. [Thomas] Nelson
·
North
Carolina
...
Mr. [Joseph] Hewes
·
S.
Carolina ... Mr. [Edward] Rutledge
On July 12th, 1776, the committee presented the first
draft Articles of
Confederation
of
the United States of America. The Continental
Congress resolved:
That eighty copies, and no more, of the confederation, as brought
in by the committee, be immediately printed, and deposited with
the secretary, who shall deliver one copy to each member: That a
committee be appointed to superintend the press, who shall take
care that the foregoing resolution [Articles of
Confederation
].
That the printer be under oath to deliver all the copies, which
he shall print, together with the copy sheet, to the secretary,
and not to disclose either directly or indirectly, the contents
of the said confederation: That no member furnish any person with
his copy, or take any steps by which the said confederation may
be re-printed, and that the secretary be under the like
injunction.
[17]
 |
National Collegiate Honor’s Council Partners in the Park Independence Hall Class of 2017 students at Independence Hall with Ranger Jay holding the September 1787, American Museum printing of the U.S. Constitution and Ranger Ed Welch holding John Dunlap's 1776 Journals of Congress opened, respectively to the U.S. Constitution of 1787 and Declaration of Independence. They are flanked by National Collegiate Honors Council Students and NCHC President, Dr. Naomi Yavneh Klos - – For more information visit our National Park and NCHC Partners in the Park Class of 2017 website |
Congress Site - Continued
Here
Continental Congress of the United States
Presidents
July 2, 1776 to February 28, 1781
July 2, 1776
|
October 29, 1777
|
|
November 1, 1777
|
December 9, 1778
|
|
December 10, 1778
|
September 28, 1779
|
|
September 29, 1779
|
February 28, 1781
|
Commander-in-Chief United Colonies & States of
America
George Washington: June 15, 1775 - December 23,
1783
United Colonies Continental
Congress
|
President
|
18th Century
Term
|
Age
|
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison
Randolph (1745-1783)
|
09/05/74 – 10/22/74
|
29
|
|
Mary Williams
Middleton (1741-
1761) Deceased
|
Henry Middleton
|
10/22–26/74
|
n/a
|
Elizabeth "Betty" Harrison
Randolph (1745–1783)
|
05/20/ 75 - 05/24/75
|
30
|
|
Dorothy Quincy Hancock
Scott (1747-1830)
|
05/25/75 – 07/01/76
|
28
|
|
United States Continental
Congress
|
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
Dorothy Quincy Hancock
Scott (1747-1830)
|
07/02/76 – 10/29/77
|
29
|
|
Eleanor Ball
Laurens (1731-
1770) Deceased
|
Henry Laurens
|
11/01/77 – 12/09/78
|
n/a
|
Sarah Livingston
Jay (1756-1802)
|
12/ 10/78 – 09/28/78
|
21
|
|
Martha
Huntington (1738/39–1794)
|
09/29/79 – 02/28/81
|
41
|
|
United States in Congress
Assembled
|
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
Martha
Huntington (1738/39–1794)
|
03/01/81 – 07/06/81
|
42
|
|
Sarah Armitage
McKean (1756-1820)
|
07/10/81 – 11/04/81
|
25
|
|
Jane Contee
Hanson (1726-1812)
|
11/05/81 - 11/03/82
|
55
|
|
Hannah Stockton
Boudinot (1736-1808)
|
11/03/82 - 11/02/83
|
46
|
|
Sarah Morris
Mifflin (1747-1790)
|
11/03/83 - 11/02/84
|
36
|
|
Anne Gaskins Pinkard
Lee (1738-1796)
|
11/20/84 - 11/19/85
|
46
|
|
Dorothy Quincy Hancock
Scott (1747-1830)
|
11/23/85 – 06/06/86
|
38
|
|
Rebecca Call
Gorham (1744-1812)
|
06/06/86 - 02/01/87
|
42
|
|
Phoebe Bayard St.
Clair (1743-1818)
|
02/02/87 - 01/21/88
|
43
|
|
Christina Stuart
Griffin (1751-1807)
|
01/22/88 - 01/29/89
|
36
|
Constitution of
1787
First Ladies |
President
|
Term
|
Age
|
April 30, 1789 – March 4, 1797
|
57
|
||
March 4, 1797 – March 4, 1801
|
52
|
||
Martha Wayles Jefferson Deceased
|
September 6, 1782 (Aged 33)
|
n/a
|
|
March 4, 1809 – March 4, 1817
|
40
|
||
March 4, 1817 – March 4, 1825
|
48
|
||
March 4, 1825 – March 4, 1829
|
50
|
||
December 22, 1828 (aged 61)
|
n/a
|
||
February 5, 1819 (aged 35)
|
n/a
|
||
March 4, 1841 – April 4, 1841
|
65
|
||
April 4, 1841 – September 10, 1842
|
50
|
||
June 26, 1844 – March 4, 1845
|
23
|
||
March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1849
|
41
|
||
March 4, 1849 – July 9, 1850
|
60
|
||
July 9, 1850 – March 4, 1853
|
52
|
||
March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1857
|
46
|
||
n/a
|
n/a
|
||
March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865
|
42
|
||
February 22, 1862 – May 10, 1865
|
|||
April 15, 1865 – March 4, 1869
|
54
|
||
March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1877
|
43
|
||
March 4, 1877 – March 4, 1881
|
45
|
||
March 4, 1881 – September 19,
1881
|
48
|
||
January 12, 1880 (Aged 43)
|
n/a
|
||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889
|
21
|
||
March 4, 1889 – October 25, 1892
|
56
|
||
June 2, 1886 – March 4, 1889
|
28
|
||
March 4, 1897 – September 14,
1901
|
49
|
||
September 14, 1901 – March 4,
1909
|
40
|
||
March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1913
|
47
|
||
March 4, 1913 – August 6, 1914
|
52
|
||
December 18, 1915 – March 4, 1921
|
43
|
||
March 4, 1921 – August 2, 1923
|
60
|
||
August 2, 1923 – March 4, 1929
|
44
|
||
March 4, 1929 – March 4, 1933
|
54
|
||
March 4, 1933 – April 12, 1945
|
48
|
||
April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953
|
60
|
||
January 20, 1953 – January 20,
1961
|
56
|
||
January 20, 1961 – November 22,
1963
|
31
|
||
November 22, 1963 – January 20,
1969
|
50
|
||
January 20, 1969 – August 9, 1974
|
56
|
||
August 9, 1974 – January 20, 1977
|
56
|
||
January 20, 1977 – January 20, 1981
|
49
|
||
January 20, 1981 – January 20, 1989
|
59
|
||
January 20, 1989 – January 20,
1993
|
63
|
||
January 20, 1993 – January 20,
2001
|
45
|
||
January 20, 2001 – January 20,
2009
|
54
|
||
January 20, 2009 to date
|
45
|
[2]
Op Cit, June 7, 1776
[3]
On July 9th, 1776 the New York
Provincial
Congress assembled in the White Plains Court House and
adopted the July 4, 1776 resolution heartedly supported by
John Jay
who
had rushed from New York City to address that body: “That
reasons assigned by the Continental Congress
for
declaring The United Colonies Free and Independent States are
cogent and conclusive, and that now we approve the same, and
will at the risque of our lives and fortunes, join with the
other colonies in supporting it.”
- New York Provincial Congress, Resolution
supporting the Declaration of Independence
,
July 9, 1776.
[4]
Letter from John Adams
to
Abigail
Adams,
3 July 1776. Original manuscript from the Adams Family
Papers, Massachusetts Historical
Society. “But the Day is past. The Second Day of July
1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of
America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by
succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It
ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn
Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized
with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells,
Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to
the other from this Time forward forever more.”
[5]
John Hanson,
“United States in Congress Assembled
Proclamation.
“The Freeman’s Journal, October 16, 1782, Number
LXXVII, p. 3.
[6]
In the first three United American Republics, the signature
of U.C. and U.S. Presidents are not required to enact any
Congressional legislation. These founding
presidents, unlike the current U.S. Presidents, had one vote
in their respective state delegations in the “one state
one vote” unicameral congressional system. In the Fourth
American Republic
,
Article I of the Current U.S. Constitution requires every
bill, order, resolution or other act of legislation by the
Congress of the United States to be presented to the U.S.
President for his approval. The President can either sign it
into law, return the bill to the originating house of
Congress with his objections to the bill (a veto), or neither
sign nor return it to Congress. If he does the latter
and Congress remains in session for ten days exempting
Sundays, the bill becomes law. If during those ten days
Congress adjourns than the bill does not become a law.
[7]
Emancipation Proclamation
,
January 1, 1863, Original Manuscript, The Charters of
Freedom, US National Archives and Records
Administration.
[8]
Ibid.
[9]
A Committee of the Whole is a device in which a legislative
body or other deliberative assembly is considered one large
committee.
[11]
Ibid.
[13]
At the Philadelphia
Convention
on May 30, 1787, Virginia Governor
and member Edmund Randolph moved
to rename the United States, the “National Government of
America.” This name would remain as part of the
current U.S. Constitution draft until June 20th,
1787, when it was moved by Mr. Oliver Ellsworth, seconded by
Mr. Nathaniel Gorham “…
to amend the first resolution reported from the Committee of
the whole House so as to read as follows -- namely, Resolved
that the government of the United States ought to consist of
a Supreme Legislative, Judiciary, and Executive. On the
question to agree to the amendment it passed unanimously in
the affirmative.” Max Farrand, The Records of the
Federal Convention of 1787. New Haven: Yale University
Press, 1911.
[14]
After
the passage of Lee's resolution the Continental
Congress
enacted
that "In obedience to their order, Captain Whipple and
Captain Saltonstal were come to Philadelphia
;
Whereupon, Resolved, That the Marine Committee be directed to
enquire into the complaints exhibited against them, and
report to Congress."
On the third of July seven different resolutions were passed,
and finally on the Fourth of July they “Resolved, That an
application be made to the committee of safety of
Pennsylvania
for
a supply of flints for the troops at New York
:
and that the colony of Maryland
and
Delaware
be
requested to embody their militia for the flying camp, with
all expedition, and to march them, without delay, to the city
of Philadelphia.”
All were enacted before the Declaration of
Independence was
adopted. Journals of the Continental Congress, July
2-4, 1776.
[15]
On September 5, 1774 the delegates first assembled at
Carpenters Hall but did not formalize the name of that body
as a “Continental Congress,”
until October 20, 1784.
[17]
JCC, July 12, 1776
Capitals of the United Colonies and States of America
Philadelphia
|
Sept. 5, 1774 to Oct. 24, 1774
| |
Philadelphia
|
May 10, 1775 to Dec. 12, 1776
| |
Baltimore
|
Dec. 20, 1776 to Feb. 27, 1777
| |
Philadelphia
|
March 4, 1777 to Sept. 18, 1777
| |
Lancaster
|
September 27, 1777
| |
York
|
Sept. 30, 1777 to June 27, 1778
| |
Philadelphia
|
July 2, 1778 to June 21, 1783
| |
Princeton
|
June 30, 1783 to Nov. 4, 1783
| |
Annapolis
|
Nov. 26, 1783 to Aug. 19, 1784
| |
Trenton
|
Nov. 1, 1784 to Dec. 24, 1784
| |
New York City
|
Jan. 11, 1785 to Nov. 13, 1788
| |
New York City
|
October 6, 1788 to March 3,1789
| |
New York City
|
March 3,1789 to August 12, 1790
| |
Philadelphia
|
Dec. 6,1790 to May 14, 1800
| |
Washington DC
|
November 17,1800 to Present
|
Book a primary source exhibit and a professional speaker for your
next event by contacting Historic.us today. Our Clients include
many Fortune 500 companies, associations, non-profits, colleges,
universities, national conventions, pr and advertising agencies.
As the leading exhibitor of primary sources, many of our clients
have benefited from our historic displays that are designed to
entertain and educate your target audience. Contact us to learn how you
can join our "roster" of satisfied clientele today!
Historic.us
A Non-profit Corporation
A Non-profit Corporation
Primary Source Exhibits
Exhibit
Inquiries
202-239-1774 | Office
Dr. Naomi and Stanley Yavneh Klos, Principals
Naomi@Historic.us
Stan@Historic.us
Primary Source exhibits are available for display
in your community. The costs range from $1,000 to
$35,000 depending on length of time on loan and the
rarity of artifacts chosen.
 |
| U.S. Dollar Presidential Coin Mr. Klos vs Secretary Paulson - Click Here |
The United Colonies of North America Continental Congress Presidents (1774-1776)
The United States of America Continental Congress Presidents (1776-1781)
The United States of America in Congress Assembled Presidents (1781-1789)
The United States of America Presidents and Commanders-in-Chiefs (1789-Present)
The United States of America Continental Congress Presidents (1776-1781)
The United States of America in Congress Assembled Presidents (1781-1789)
The United States of America Presidents and Commanders-in-Chiefs (1789-Present)
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.